Vehicle spring suspension.



F, RICHARD.

i VEHICLE SPRING SUSPENSION.

APPLIcATloN FILED un 23. i914.

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"Za/17555555: Franais Rzcdlu;

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FRANCOIS BICABD, 0F CLEVELAND,

OHIO.

VEHICLE SPRING SUSPENSION.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

Application led May 23, 1814. Serial No. 840,801.

To` all whom it ma concern:

Be it known 4t iat I, Franois RICHARD, a citizen of the French Republic, lresiding' at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and Stateof Ohio, have invented a newand useful Improvement 1n Vehicle Spring 4 Suspensiones, of which the following is a specification, 2 the rinciple of the invention bein herein iexpllaiined and the best Inode in W' ich I have contemplated applying that rinciple, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

This invention entitled a vehicle-spring suspension has'particular reference to the disposi. )n et the springs relative to the frame and especially the mounting of the springs of modern ai'itomobile construction.

According to present practice automobiles carry from` three to tive 'pr more springs as .the connecting medium between 'the axles Usually, four are Suring cars of a I eight andI have elected 'toincorporate foar in the exempliication which my drawing presents. The ordinary arrangement places one spring inwardly adjacent each of the four wheels, and usually the front pair is alined directly underneath opposite sides of the frame respeetively. Frequently the front end ofthe frame is narrower to afford steering clearance for the front wheels and it is to assist in supplying such clearance that the front springs and the body of the car.

Vare mounted within the outside breadth of the frame. So far as my knowledge extends, the two rear springs have never been mounted each directly beneath 'one of the side beams in combination with front springs similarly mounted. I believe I have effected` a new and in adopting this seemingly simple expedient i i of lacing all of the foursprings not only ine with i but directly underneath the two side beams in front and rear ends o'f the of the chassis, l

The object of myinvention is to derive a very marked advantage which such new and useful result assures. This advantage consists in the reduction to a minimum i not the avoidance of such forces as tend to or'actually do twist the frame' when a iiex in or reaction of a spring occurs laterally of the longitudinal beam which it supports. The constant exertion of such deleterious forces eventually loosens rivets orother. se curing parts' tocausefbreakages. I insure and the rear axle as b.

useful result in a new way c2. `The four extremities of the beams a direct upward lift. A further object similar in theory has been to place' the springs, which are subject to inordinate' load, as closelymas. feasible to the rear wheels whereby the levera ev between the points of inception of road s ock and the connection between the spring and frame is kept as short as possible. A final object has been simplicity in altered design and incidental economy of manufacture. i

The inventive conception is `associated with means which are hereinafter explained' and variously combined in the claims. While the annexed drawing and particular description thereof,v set forth in detail the preferred form embodying my invention, it should be understood that themeans only exemplify some of many diversified mechanical forms with which theprinciple 0f my invention may be justly applied.

Adverting to the drawin s:

Figure I is a top plan o a vehicle frame adapted' to my invention. l Fig. II is an inside elevation of one side of an automobile chassis embodying my complete invention.

Fig- III is a bottom plan of the complete chassis embodying my invention as suggested by Fig. II.

' Fig. IV is a detailed elevation of a modi fication of my invention. V

I have desi hated the front wheels of the vehicle with t e referenceletter A, the hind wheels each with the reference letter 4B and their hubs as 6, the forward axle as a' The frame which. I

prefer to mount upon the axles through the medium of my spring connection 1s best 'seen in FigsgI and II. l It will be seen -that the frame comprises two longitudinallyextending beams C having their fore parte 'c' more closely spaced than thehind arts are each formed with bearing bossesc". The forward ends arearched underneath to form hangers 0*, while the rear ends are similar-ly arched over-all to form hangers c, Con

necting'the forward and 4rear ends respectively of the beams are a pairof brace mein-V bersD. y `L` I am aware that the forward ends of the beams used in automobile construction have been arched underneath to -form hangers and springs which were disposed directly underneath. This much of my construction I have already impliedly disclaimed. Ac-

eordinp'ly it will be. seen that` a pair ofv t'orward semi-elliptie springs l) are mounted at a upon the axle n. and connected in front to the bosses e by means ol clevises e and bound by means ot' scrolls u and links e in a -inanner well known to the art. Asis most clearly seen in Fig. III the, springs E are directly underneath the ter- Ward ends c of thel beams.

In the rear a pair ot' semi-elliptic springs F are. suspended troni the axle b through the medium ot axle inc losing supports f', The. extremities ot' the springs F are :frrnilarly provided with scrolls f2, each panot' whieh'is 'movably connected to opposite ends of the hangers c through the agency of links` fi. Directing attention again 1.o Fig. Illy it is to be particularly noted that the. somewhat heavier springs l" are like.- wise, directly underneath the rear ends al of the. frame..

It is necessary in automobile const-ruetion to allow a certain clearance owing tothe requirement for steering or the turning oi" the forward wheels and it is for this reason that. the forward ends of the traine areset in relatively to the. wheels. l'n tln` rear of the vehicle this is, however, unnecessary and it has been a considerable mistake. on the' part of other designers to spare the rear wheels any farther from the springs and inV cidentally from the traine than was alan-- lately necessary. My invention is especially designed to bring both ends t? and the springs l\vl as closely as feasible to the rear -wheels B thereby avoiding excessive leverpurpose of the upentrdlv reeessed'or curved rearward ends of the frame-.becomes more apparent, Such rear ends need not., however, be of equal length since springs of this Atype are connected thereto -fi the same ver-- tical p'line 'of 'he axle. 'It will accordingly I .nected tothe axle b by'a'pair offull ellipticbeseen from aninsfiection of the xnoditiea- 'tion shown in Fig. 1V, that the fear ends 0 .of `the frameare shortened ante-are consprings Whose two componentparts G and l are, ('ft'uinected respe ':tive]y to tlie-axle by means of a support y and to lthe i'raine atI y. Corresponding"v scrolls at the extremities ot the parts (il and (i are pivotally eonnected in any suitable manner 'by pins y. Otherwise, the special function oi my two featured iin-'entire conception is similarly conserved.

My invention being thus described with sufficient thorolighnessv` what l desire to secure by Letters Patent. and therefore claim specifically, is:

l. A vehicle-spring suspension eoinpris` inlgr a pair ot' axles` wheels upon opposite ends o1 each axle. the front wheels being' spaced apart the saine distance as the hind wheels. and a traine having oe-anis extend ingr between said axles, said beams having their under surfares recessed upwardly at. tuipositewends and being` spaced apart a greater distance at the rear axle than at `the. front axle. the. arrangen'ient being such that rear l'iortions of said .mams are immediately adjacent to said wheels;` a pair of springs extending transversely of said axles and connecting: corresponding ends'ot saidbeams w'zii the .toi-ward ot' said axles at considerable, distances frfnnthe inner sides `of theA front wheels`v opposite ends of said lsprings being movably attached to the underside of said b anis such that the springs and beams are. disposed in the saine vertical .plai'iesrespectively, and a Asecond pair of sprii'igs attached to the rear of said axles and located immediately adjacent thev inner sides o' the. rear wheel respectively, said springs simr/ larly extending directly underneath and having' their ends niov ably attached to saldi beams, whereby doubly to insure against torsional strains upon the traine ineidentJo a flexure of the springs.

by to'minimze torsional st rai'nsupd'n allj he parts incidentto a. tlexure of the 'Springs Signed by me, this 7th day of' Ma-*1.914.

Aal-gsd bys- MARY ComMAN, F. BRADY.

FRANot's RIC'Hann'.4 l 

